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Tribe Alive: Building Sustainable Global Partnerships and Empowering Women Through Ethical Fashion

June 16, 2015 By Leticia

Tribe Alive: Building Sustainable Global Partnerships and Empowering Women Through Ethical Fashion

My mother always says, “Everything happens for a reason” and she’s right. Or maybe I just read too many Thomas Hardy novels in high school and became a believer in fate and connections that materialize because they’re supposed to.

That’s how I met Tribe Alive.

Maya Weekender from Tribe Alive's Summer 2015 Line

Maya Weekender from Tribe Alive’s Summer 2015 Line- Ikat Print- $275

A conference in fall of 2010 connected me with two incredible women who I made my first trip to Haiti with a year and a half later. Their friendship plus the fact that I fell in love with the country has kept me going back to continue to share the incredible handcrafts that Haitian artists are known for. My constant sharing of all things Haiti through social media led to a friend introducing me to her friend at Tribe Alive.

On a chilly December day, we met for coffee. I had already scoped out the site and was smitten with the designs- delicate beaded bracelets that I could add to my stack of arm candy that represented places I’ve traveled around the world, roomy weekenders that combined woven textiles and leather, and golden necklaces that could be worn together or separate. And all made with a mission to help women around the world to connect to a global marketplace.

All it took was “We want to be doing work in Haiti” for me to fall more in love with Tribe Alive.
Harlow Bracelet from Tribe Alive's Summer 2015 Line

Harlow Bracelet from Tribe Alive’s Summer 2015 Line- $22 each

Chances are I probably would have found Tribe Alive eventually but I’m glad I was introduced to them when I was.

Like Macy’s Heart of Haiti, fashionABLE, Global Goods Partners,To the Market, and so many other companies whose product lines I love, Tribe Alive works to build sustainable partnerships with women in developing countries whose work and training empowers them as independent business women all over the world.

Evie Scarf from Tribe Alive's Summer 2015 Line

Evie Scarf from Tribe Alive’s Summer 2015 Line- $35

I know from working with ONE that #PovertyIsSexist. Girls and women in the poorest countries are at a social, economic, and legal disadvantage when compared to men. Unless given the opportunity to go to school, own land, and earn an income, girls and women will always get a raw deal but companies like Tribe Alive are helping to change this for women around the world.

Inspired after the adoption of her little girl from Ethiopia, Tribe Alive founder, Carly Burson, was burdened by the fact that many women give up their children because they don’t have the means to raise them. When she left, she decided she wanted to take her experience from her career at J.Crew to create a company that empowered women to experience the joy of raising their children. Carly started working with women in Honduras and Guatemala to create beautiful textiles that embody rich, colorful, and unique patterns. Tribe Alive also has non-profit partners in Ethiopia, India, and Haiti.

Selam Necklace with Honor Bracelet Collection from Tribe Alive Spring 2015 Collection

Selam Necklace ($38) with Honor Bracelet ($15) Collection from Tribe Alive Summer 2015 Collection

What makes Tribe Alive special is that Carly designs each piece and then works hands on with artisan partners to empower them with the skills needed to create something beautiful. She’ll usually spend two or three weeks working in a country with the women in the villages when they’re collaborating on a new collection and the results are stunning!

Sseko Sandals from Tribe Alive's Summer 2015 Line

Sseko Sandals from Tribe Alive’s Summer 2015 Line- $74.99

This week Tribe Alive launched their summer line with new jewelry, handbags, apparel, accessories, footwear, and home products that have been featured throughout this post. Aren’t they pure eye candy?

With a wide variety of items available for a range of prices, Tribe Alive shows that ethical fashion can be beautiful and affordable as we make purchases to help women around the world through sustainable job creation that has real economic impact on nonprofit partners throughout the world.

How do I know?

I’m excited to share that my fated connection to Tribe Alive has resulted in a collaboration with artist friends in Haiti who are creating jewelry made from locally sourced materials like horn, clay and mixed metals and are hand sewing leather bags for Tribe’s fall collection! I can’t wait to see the gorgeousness this fall while purchasing products made by people whose lives I know are transformed through such partnerships.!

Daphne Clutch from Tribe Alive Spring 2015

Daphne Clutch from Tribe Alive Spring 2015 Collection – $108

No compensation was received for this post. I’m just SO excited about Tribe Alive’s summer line and new partnership with Haitian artisans that I had to share the great work they’re doing to empower women through economic opportunity and the importance of buying their products to show your support. Images courtesy of Tribe Alive.

Related

Purchase with a Purpose & the Importance of Buying Gifts that Give BackIn "Causes"

Sevenly’s CAUSEBOX: A Curated Collection of Gifts for Mom that Change the WorldIn "Gift Guides"

Lessons From Molly Ringwald at Mom 2.0 SummitIn "Education"

Filed Under: Causes Tagged With: empowering women, ethical fashion, fair trade, favorites, sustainable job creation, Tribe Alive

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vera Sweeney says

    June 16, 2015 at 10:23 am

    I am LITERALLY wearing that bracelet right now. For the last two or three weeks — it hasn’t left my wrist. LOVE IT

    • Leticia says

      June 16, 2015 at 10:21 pm

      Oh la la! I have to see a photo! IG it and tag me pretty please and I’ll do the same! 🙂

  2. Fadra says

    June 16, 2015 at 10:39 am

    I love their stuff! Just my style! Do you simply buy their products through their website?

    • Leticia says

      June 16, 2015 at 10:20 pm

      Hi Fadra! Yes! You can click on Shop to view all of their items and then add the ones you want to your cart. I can’t wait to see what you get from Tribe Alive!

  3. Reagan says

    June 16, 2015 at 10:55 am

    Leticia, your words are beautiful! Thank you for sharing Carly’s story & Tribe’s mission!
    So very glad our paths crossed. ❤

    • Leticia says

      June 16, 2015 at 10:19 pm

      Me too! Look forward to catching up over coffee soon!

  4. Debra says

    June 16, 2015 at 12:03 pm

    What beautiful pieces!!! My sisters birthday is coming up and oh, I spy something! 🙂 Tribe Alive sounds amazing!

    • Leticia says

      June 16, 2015 at 10:19 pm

      Oh yes! So many great gift ideas and I love that so many are under $20! Budget friendly pieces that help artists around the world proves that it doesn’t take a huge amount of money to make a difference in the lives of others!

  5. Keri Lyn says

    June 16, 2015 at 5:50 pm

    Beautiful pieces, thank you for sharing!!

  6. Kelly says

    June 16, 2015 at 9:28 pm

    Lovely pieces! So glad to see you had a part in helping make this happen. Adding them to my shopping list!

    • Leticia says

      June 16, 2015 at 10:18 pm

      Thanks! They’re such a wonderful company with heart and beautiful things that truly make a difference!

  7. Brianne says

    June 16, 2015 at 11:27 pm

    Love love love this post! I am all about shopping for a cause! These are wonderful items as well!

  8. Jane Gordon says

    June 24, 2015 at 1:55 pm

    Beautiful pieces! 🙂 First time reader, saw the title and was very curious! Always looking for new places to shop! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

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Hi! I'm Leticia, founder of Tech Savvy Mama! I'm an award-winning blogger, Washington, DC area mom of teens, middle school computer science teacher, and education consultant.  Read more...

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